Ramos was brought to White Hart Lane despite not speaking any English and replaced Martin Jol, a man who most experts felt had done a sterling job at the club having guided the north Londoners to a fifth-place finish just months before his October 2007 sacking.

Emery's situation is worryingly similar for Hammers fans. He too does not speak any English and will inherit a squad filled mostly with Englishmen.

Should co-owners David Sullivan and David Gold get their man, Emery would be replacing a manager who has, in the opinion of most football pundits, done a brilliant job in East London.

Ramos was expected to take Spurs on to the next level. The same will be expected of Emery.

However, with the Hammers facing two of the most important seasons in their history as they say farewell to their Boleyn Ground home before moving to the Olympic Stadium in 2016/17, the warning signs are there for all to see.

Ramos started well enough. A honeymoon period saw him turn Tottenham's form around and he even led them to their first trophy in nine years with a famous League Cup win over fierce rivals Chelsea.

But his reign wasn't to last long as he then managed Spurs to their worst ever start to a league campaign the following season.

With the side firmly rooted to the bottom of the table with just two points from their opening eight games, he was sacked.

At the time Spurs had an expensively assembled squad and called upon former Hammers manager Harry Redknapp to turn things around.

Now West Ham, with European qualification of their own to contend with this summer, want to follow a similar path.

But Emery could be faced with as many as 23 extra games from a European adventure alone in what is sure to be an emotional final season at Upton Park.

Some fans may argue Spurs acted too hastily in removing Ramos, but they pulled the trigger to preserve their Premier League status.

And the Hammers will be under even more intense pressure to preserve theirs as they know the club must be playing Premier League football when they move to the Olympic Stadium in just over a years' time.